Welcome to SCRUFF

SCRUFF (Spaying Capital Region Unowned Feral Felines), is a Trap-Neuter-vaccinate-Return (TNvR) organization for feral and stray cats. Run by dedicated volunteers, SCRUFF provides low-cost spay/neuter services for this unowned population of cats.

Founded by Dr. Susan Sikule of Just Cats Veterinary Clinic, SCRUFF's mission is to work with the public to humanely reduce the population of feral and stray cats and to educate the public on ways to care for these “community” cats.

Modeling itself after the nationally acclaimed Alley Cat Allies, SCRUFF volunteers educate individuals and promote TNvR; since January 2007, we have spayed/neutered over 7,000 stray and feral cats! Through our programs and our valuable partnerships, SCRUFF's vision is a lifelong commitment to reducing community cats throughout the Capital District Region, one cat at a time.

If you have community cats (also called feral or stray cats) in your neighborhood, you may have noticed that some or all of these outdoor cats have an ear that is squared off instead of pointy at the tip. The universal sign usually involves tipping of the left ear.

Ear-tipping involves surgically removing a small portion of one of a cat’s ears while the cat is under anesthesia for spay or neuter surgery. It is the universally accepted way to signify that a community cat has been spayed or neutered, which means no new kittens will be born, and that’s a good thing.

The ear-tipping procedure is generally done as part of a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program, which involves humanely trapping community cats, vaccinating them, getting them spayed or neutered, and then returning them to their neighborhoods to live out their lives. TNR is the best way to humanely reduce the population of community cats.

Why are community cats ear-tipped?

If you’ve spent any time around community cats, you know that getting close to one may not be an easy task. In general, these aren’t family pets. These are cats who were abandoned by their people, who got lost and ended up living on their own, or who were born on the streets. They are lovable in their own way, but they are usually not cuddly types.

There are kind people around the country who keep an eye on community cat colonies in their neighborhoods, helping to get the cats fixed through TNR programs. Ear-tipping allows them to tell from a distance whether or not a community cat has been spayed or neutered. That tipped ear saves the cat the stress of being trapped and anesthetized a second time. Ear-tipping can also help anyone who is feeding the cats keep track of them, and notice if a new cat has joined the colony.

Does ear-tipping hurt the cat?

Ear-tipping is extremely safe and is performed while the cat is already anesthetized for spay or neuter surgery. There is little or no bleeding involved, and it is not painful to the cat. The ear heals up quickly and the tipped ear doesn’t detract one bit from the appearance or beauty of the cat.